Harrington Takes Honda Lead

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Padraig Harrington’s gruelling schedule at the start of the season looks to be bearing fruit after the three-time Major winner rose to the top of the leaderboard after the weather-delayed second round of the Honda Classic in Florida.

The 43-year-old Dubliner was four under and four shots off the lead of Brendan Steeleovernight after play was suspended due to darkness on Friday evening.

Harrington made a storming start on the resumption play, with back-to-back birdies on the 16th and 17th, the last two holes of the famous Bear Trap on the PGA National Course.

Another birdie came at the first before the first dropped shot of his second round came at the par-five sixth before a scintillating hat-trick of birdies from the fourth to move to nine under.

At that stage, Harrington was three shots clear of clubhouse leader Patrick Reed, but he would close with back-to-back bogeys and sign for a four-under 66 to leave him on seven under.

The second round was completed on Saturday after rain delays on Friday and the players will be straight back in action in the third round later on Saturday.

Ian Poulter’s impressive 64 moved him to within two strokes of Harrington and level with American Steele on five under.

Former Honda Classic winner Luke Donald, shot a 67 to move three strokes off the lead.

Graeme McDowell joined fellow Ulsterman Rory McIlroy in missing the cut after completing a one-over 71 in his second round to miss the cut by one shot on five over.

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McIlroy to Miss Honda Cut

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Rory McIlroy is set to miss the cut at the Honda Classic after posting a four-over 74 in a rain-affected second round.

In a round twice interrupted by bad weather, McIlroy carded five bogeys and just one birdie to move to seven-over, four shots outside of the projected cut. Beginning the day three-over, the Northern Irishman opened with a bogey at the 10th and dropped another shot at the par-five 18th after finding the water with his second shot.

McIlroy missed birdie putts at two and three, before making his only gain of the round by firing his tee-shot at the par-three fifth to within five feet of the hole.

The 2012 winner on the Champion Course then found the bunker at successive holes to card back-to-back bogeys, and added another at the last after three-putting from 50-feet.

The 25-year-old had arrived at PGA National full of confidence after victory at last month's Dubai Desert Classic extended his run to seven top-two European Tour finishes in a row, and was expecting another good weekend in Florida despite an opening round 73. 

"I don't like missing cuts," the world No 1 said. "You want to be playing on the weekend, and I'm not going to be playing which is not nice. 

"I guess after coming off a three-week break, I felt, I wouldn't say rusty, but just not quite on top of my game yesterday. Today I felt like I was trying to get something going and couldn't.

"Coming off three weeks off and playing in conditions like these, it sort of shows you where your game's at. I've just got to regroup and put some work in and get ready for Miami next week."

Failing to qualify for the weekend ends a run of 22 consecutive cuts made on the PGA Tour for McIlroy, who hadn't missed a cut since last year's Irish Open and has reached the third round of every tournament he's featured at in America since the 2012 US Open. 

McIlroy will continue his preparations for April's Masters at next week's World Golf Championships event at Doral, before making his first-ever start in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill a fortnight later.

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Padraig Races Ahead at Honda

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Padraig Harrington fired an opening round 67, three under par, that left him in tied-third, two shots behind first round leader Jim Herman. “Even I was struggling, questioning and doubting myself,” said Harrington of the testing wind conditions which caused consternation for the majority of the field.

McIlroy ultimately displayed his resolve to overcome the elements in a round that featured two double-bogeys in his opening five holes to shoot a 73, three over. His round was rescued to a degree by birdies on the closing two holes: from 30 feet on the 17th, and a two-putt birdie on the par five 18th.

Harrington ended a run of three consecutive missed cuts to finish tied-56th in last week’s Northern Trust Open and to take some confidence into the first leg of the Florida Swing, but suffered a bogey on the second hole where he pushed his tee shot into a native dirt area and could only move the recovery shot some 30 yards into a bunker on the way to a dropped shot.

But that bogey served as a wake-up call for the three-time Major champion as he bounced back with a birdie on the par five third and sank an 18-footer for birdie on the eighth.

Harrington had struggled early on, missing four of the first six greens, but kept his focus to make the most of whatever opportunities arose.

He showed great battling qualities to reel off seven straight pars in the tough conditions from the ninth before hitting a superb approach from 200 yards in to three feet for a birdie on the 16th.

On the par five 18th, playing downwind, he hit a 340-yard drive, hit his 223 yards approach on to the green and two-putted for a birdie that put him into a good position.

“I found it difficult,” admitted Harrington. “But I holed a couple of nice putts and, on a windy day, when you do that, you feel you are ahead of the pack if you can make a few more birdies. As tough as the day was, I kept telling myself it suited me more than most guys.”

Harrington was well rewarded for his doggedness and perseverance, as he stuck to his task to roll back the years.

Graeme McDowell had a dreadful opening to his round with four bogeys in the first five holes and then suffered a double bogey on the second, his 11th. He salvaged something from the round with an eagle on the third, but it was more a case of damage limitation. 

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Not Classic McIlroy at Honda

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Rory McIlroy endured a torrid start to the PGA Tour’s Florida Swing as he scrapped his way to a three-over 73 on the first day of the Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens.

The world No 1 struggled to get to grips with the blustery conditions at PGA National, losing a ball from his opening tee shot and finding water at the short fifth as he carded two double-bogeys in the first five holes.

The 2012 champion, who lost out to Russell Henley in a play-off last year, did manage to birdie the final two holes to limit the damage, but his main priority on Friday will be to make the cut rather than think about contending for the lead.

Jim Herman was the surprise outright leader after a commendable 65, the American being one of only two players to keep a bogey off his card in round one, while Padraig Harrington made a welcome return to form with a solid three-under 67.

Herman eased to the turn in 33 and picked up another shot at the 10th before birdies at two of the final three holes earned him a one-stroke lead over compatriot Brendan Steele, who mixed six birdies with two bogeys in his 66.

Harrington recovered from an early mistake at the second with birdies at the third and eighth and, like Herman, the Irishman also birdied 16 and 18 to round off an excellent day’s work. 

The three-time major champion was joined on three under by Martin Flores and US Ryder Cup star Patrick Reed, who had only seven pars in a roller-coaster opening round.

Reed made three straight birdies from the third and added another at eight in an outward 31, but he then dropped four shots in six holes after the turn before further birdies at 16 and 18 lifted him back into the top three.

US Open champion Martin Kaymer was two over after five holes after starting on the 10th, but he birdied three of the next four and picked up another at the sixth to return a solid 68.

"It's not boring here, said the German. "Every single hole you have to think and be very creative. I enjoy it. It was a proper test. The wind was blowing from every direction."

Kaymer shares sixth with Ryder Cup team-mate Jamie Donaldson, who couldn't build on a remarkable start as he birdied three of his four four holes before dropped shots at the seventh and 10th halted his progress.

The Welshman hit back with a birdie at 14 and parred in to remain at two under, while Luke Donald, Paul Casey and Scotland's Russell Knox were a shot further adrift as only 19 players managed to break par by the end of the first day's play.

Lee Westwood holed his second shot to the 10th for eagle but then had a run of three bogeys in four holes and finished on one over alongside the likes of Ian Poulter and Phil Mickelson.

Sergio Garcia had an early triple-bogey on his card as he slipped to five over before recovering with three birdies in four holes to get back to two over - one better than fellow Gleneagles heroes McIlroy, Justin Rose and Victor Dubuisson.

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McIlroy in Love Surprise

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Rory McIlroy concedes he was very surprised by at the appointment of Davis Love III as 2016 United States Ryder Cup captain.

McIlroy is returning to competition at this week's Honda Classic and teeing up for a first time this year on American soil following a three-week break since winning the Dubai Desert Classic.

But the World No 1 believes it will be intriguing to see Love coming up against European captain Darren Clarke at Hazeltine.

"It came as a big shock when they announced yesterday Davis was going to be the next US captain," McIlroy said.

"It will be great to see Davis and Darren go head-to-head at Hazeltine and they will be formidable opponents.

"I feel they're overdoing it with the setting up of a task force and also talking about all the changes they want to bring in."

"It's been said by a few players since we won at Gleneagles that it's not rocket science why Europe have won the last three Ryder Cups and eight of the past 10.

Love captained the US team in 2012 in Medinah when they blew a 10-6 lead going into the final day to lose the trophy.

"Davis is going to be a great captain and it was a freak we won at Medinah in 2012, and it was not supposed to happen given they had a 10-6 lead.

“If the States had of won Davis would have been looked upon as a great captain.

"So I get the sense the States, what with their task force and everything that came out in the announcement yesterday, that they're desperate to win back the Ryder Cup.

"And I will say it again because it's not that complicated why Europe has been winning."

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